I’ve been investing in startups across the globe for the last 10 years and seen a lot of pitch decks that vary significantly in quality.
Particularly when you come from a ‘non-traditional background’ or are an entrepreneur in an emerging market it’s a source of differentiation to have a high quality deck for investors.
Here are a few of my favourite resources for entrepreneurs which are a mix of practical advice and inspiration:
Sequoia Capital Deck Template: https://www.sequoiacap.com/article/writing-a-business-plan/
What investors actually spend time looking at in decks: https://techcrunch.com/2015/06/08/lessons-from-a-study-of-perfect-pitch-decks-vcs-spend-an-average-of-3-minutes-44-seconds-on-them/
Startup pitch deck examples from successful companies (for inspiration): https://piktochart.com/blog/startup-pitch-decks-what-you-can-learn/
Long list of startup pitch decks: https://airtable.com/universe/expHzpGe2PKOJcsJ6/startup-pitch-decks?explore=true
During your actual pitch I always like to learn about the ‘why’ of the founding story (authenticity and energy help a lot), and it also helps to be on top of all the important metrics and growth rates.
This tends to separate the good from the great founders during the fundraising process.
